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Ubaldo fans five, allows three homers in loss to KC

Indians manager Terry Francona talks about the club's successful Spring Training and expresses his excitement for the upcoming season

By Dick Kaegel
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MLB.com |

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Four solo home runs propelled the Royals toward a 5-1 win in their Spring Training finale over the Indians on Friday with a crowd of 6,865 at Surprise Stadium.

The Royals wrapped with a 25-7-2 record.

"There's a lot to like about this team. We've got a great defense. I think our starting pitching is going to be a focal point and a strong asset. Our relief pitching has always been dynamite in my mind," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

"I think where we're offensively now is more the team I envisioned it to be, a team that can score runs, drive the gaps, hit the ball over the fence. I love the chemistry. I love the makeup. I love the enthusiasm that we have in our clubhouse. For me, this could be the very first time that I'm leaving Spring Training, or I had a team where I feel really good about every aspect of it. So it's a nice feeling."

The Indians are 16-16-2 with one game remaining.

Alex Gordon opened the Royals' first inning against Ubaldo Jimenez with a bang -- a home run onto the center-field berm. It was Gordon's team-high eighth of the spring and he departed an inning later with a .438 (32-for-73) average and 17 RBIs in his 25 games.

The Indians came back with a run in the fourth against Jeremy Guthrie, scoring on Lou Marson's RBI ground-out, which followed a single by Lonnie Chisenhall and a double by Drew Stubbs.

Guthrie, who'll start next Thursday against the White Sox in Chicago, worked four innings and threw 56 pitches. He gave up the one run and six hits with no walks.

Jeff Francoeur led off the Royals' fifth inning with a home run to left field off Jimenez. It was his third. Two outs later, Elliot Johnson belted a homer to right-center field, his second, for a 3-1 lead.

Jimenez, the 2010 All-Star Game starter for the National League, walked the next batter and was pulled. All three hits off him were home runs, the first that he'd given up all spring.

"I made some bad pitches, but I think the ball is flying here, too," Jimenez said.

Jimenez, who'll start the Tribe's second game of the season on Wednesday at Toronto, felt that he accomplished a lot in camp.

"The first thing I wanted to do when I got to Spring Training was I wanted to fix my mechanics. And that's what I've done," he said. "I feel really good out there. I feel like I can throw a lot of strikes. I can command my fastball, throw my breaking ball whenever. If I left it a little bit up, they hit home runs here."

Minor League outfielder Roman Hernandez opened the Royals' eighth with their fourth homer off left-hander Nick Hagadone. A fifth run scored on Jarrod Dyson's RBI single.

Up next: The Tribe closes its spring slate on Saturday against a Reds' split-squad at Goodyear Ballpark at 3:00 p.m. ET. Asdrubal Cabrera, who has been out for a week with back spasms, is expected to be back in the lineup at shortstop. Right-hander Brett Myers is slated to start against the Reds. The Indians open the season on Tuesday night at 7:07 p.m. ET against the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.